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Re: A comment about the meteorite trade.

At 01:53 PM 7/2/97 -0600, Frank Stroik wrote:

>	I am not trying to preach, just make a point. Illegaly obtained 
>metorites have far reaching consequences. They hurt alot of people, and 
>takes them away from those who can appreciate them the most. I say enjoy 
>collecting meteorites, as it is a wonderful hobby, but perhaps we can 
>check ourselves ensure that integrity is maintained. 
>
Is there any way that a dealer can, in general, find out if a given
specimen that is being offered was in fact illegally obtained? I tend to
buy from dealers I trust, but beyond that where do I go to check? One
example would be Canyon Diablo, a very common iron. It used to be legally
collected, but now the land is posted and any material collected would be
traded illegally. How do I tell?  
I also recently bought (from a dealer I trust) and sold a few pieces of the
Wolfe Creek, Australia iron (which until I bought them, I had not been
aware of ...I'm still learning!). They went quickly so I started to look
around for more material and discovered that it was difficult to locate,
with one dealer (whom I have a great deal of trust in, and who had two
specimens)  telling me that it is now a protected site. Was the material I
sold illegal?

I have been doing this for only about four years, during which I have met
several dealers. I will tend to develope a feeling for if I can trust
someone fairly quickly, and then ask around to get others impressions to
compare against my own. I then try to develope ongoing relationships with
those I feel I can trust. 
Beyond this, can anyone suggest any resources to help a dealer remain legal
and ethical?


Mark Abbott
Printware, Inc.
1270 Eagan Industrial Road
Eagan, MN  55121
Phone:  (612) 456-1473
E-mail: mra@printwareinc.com